The best photos of the week: from a festive demon to the Angel of the North

The most striking pictures from around the world

A 'demoni' takes part in the 'Cabalgata del Foc' ride during the 'Nit de la Crema' (Fire Night) in Valencia, eastern Spain, 19 March 2022. The traditional Fallas feast is held in Valencia region annually until 19 March to commemorate Saint Joseph, the patron of carpenters. The Fallas, installations of parodic huge papier-mache, cardboard, and wooden sculptures, are burnt on 19 March in the so-called 'Crema' to mark the end the Falles event. EPA / BIEL ALINO

Pope Francis with members of the Italian Chefs Federation during the weekly general audience at the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, March 23, 2022. Reuters

A man picks his way through the debris of a house destroyed after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 24, 2022. AP Photo

Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas after a flare was thrown on to the pitch during the FA Cup quarter-final, March 20, 2022, between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool at the City Ground, Nottingham, England. Reuters

Iraqi Kurds celebrate Nowruz, the Persian new year, in the town of Akra, about 100 kilometres north of Erbil in Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region, on March 20, 2022. AFP

A field of wild mustard flowers in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza strip on March 20, 2022. AFP

Abandoned homes in Maceio, Alagoas state, Brazil. Residents fled because of the threat of ground subsidence caused by the Braskem mine that has forced more than 55,000 people from their homes. AP Photo

A passenger jet silhouetted against the rising full moon on approach to Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport, in Phoenix. AP Photo

Former strongmen champions Eddie 'The Beast' Hall and Hafþór 'Thor' Björnsson after their boxing match at Dubai tennis stadium. Chris Whiteoak / The National

French President Emmanuel Macron, a candidate for his re-election in the 2022 French presidential election, taking a selfie with a woman during a campaign meeting with local residents in Pau, France, March 18, 2022. Reuters

Cattle in the shallow waters of the Shatt Al Arab river in the southern Iraqi port city of Basra on March 21, 2022. Today, the salt water from the sea reaches 300 kilometres upriver. Waste water produced by Iraq, a country of 38 million people, is also poisoning the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. AFP

A packed Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna on March 19, 2022 during a charity concert 'We Stand With Ukraine'. AFP

Fog over Hong Kong seen from the Peak viewpoint on March 22, 2022. AFP

Fighters training at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi for the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Bahrain next week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The Moon sets behind the Great Giewont peak in the Tatra Mountains, in Zakopane, southern Poland, March 23, 2022. EPA

A home destroyed by a tornado in Round Rock, Texas. March 22, 2022. Reuters

A worker checks electric wires to hang lanterns for upcoming celebration of Buddha's birthday on May 8 at Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea. March 22, 2022. AP Photo

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn in by chairman Dick Durbin at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 21, 2022. Ms Brown Jackson is the first black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. AFP

Participants from Gulf Co-operation Council countries during the 11th GCC sailing championship in Kuwait City on March 24, 2022. AFP

Sunset over the Kremlin at Zaryadye Park near Red Square in Moscow, Russia, March 23, 2022. AP Photo

UAE's Junaid Siddique celebrates the wicket of Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee during a one-day international cricket match at Dubai International Stadium. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A Ukrainian firefighter in a house destroyed by Russian shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 23, 2022. AP Photo

Solar panels at the Haringvliet energy park in Middelharnis on Goeree-Overflakkee island in the Netherlands, March 22, 2022. The energy park has six windmills, 115,000 solar panels and 12 sea containers filled with batteries, which together form a giant battery. EPA

General director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, during a visit to the Great Belt Bridge, near Korsoer, Denmark, on March 23, 2022. The 2022 Tour de France starts in Denmark, pushes into Switzerland and Belgium, visits Dunkirk and Lourdes, and features five mountain slogs. The race starts on July 1, 2022 in Copenhagen. AFP

Visitors in the graduation hall at the Germany Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Fishermen on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, organise their nets on World Water Day, March 22, 2022. EPA

Giacomo Puccini's 'Turandot', staged by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome. AFP

Men gather around a waste-collection lorry in Lujan, Argentina, to sort and sell its contents. March 23, 2022. An estimated 150 families make a living collecting rubbish from this open-air dump where rubbish is often piled 30 metres high. Getty Images

Workers place Oscar statues along the red carpet route as preparations for the Academy Awards continue in Los Angeles, California. March 24, 2022. Reuters

Antony Gormley’s 'Angel of the North' overlooks a football pitch in Gateshead, north-east England. March 20, 2022. Reuters

More from The National:

Friday's best photos: from sunset in Frankfurt to Oscar preparations in Los Angeles

Thursday's best photos: from skateboarding in Ghana to marshland harvest

Wednesday's best photos: from a US tornado to UK royals in Jamaica

Tuesday's best photos: from the Golden Temple to a Texas tornado

Monday's best photos: from the Angel of the North to spring in Gaza

Sunday’s best photos: from Fire Night to falling basketball players

Saturday’s best photos: from cricket in Barbados to a full moon in Arizona